Mental Health Awareness Week 2019
Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week 2019. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of mental health issues and encourage people to openly talk about their mental health. This is really important to me personally and something that I hope my project will address in many ways and on many levels.
The week is organised by a U.K based charity called the Mental Health Foundation. You can learn more about them by visiting their social media accounts or website. I think they are doing a wonderful job of building awareness and offering support for various mental health issues. Have an explore of their content to see how you can get involved (see the link at the end of this blog).
The theme this week is “body image” and is something that I’m sure we’ve all been caught up in. Whether it’s feeling a lack of confidence about our weight or the way we look, this is something that can affect all of us in many different ways. The solution: by truly accepting who we are and focusing on our internal character, we shift the focus from the way we look to the way we are. Ultimately, this mindset change can help us to focus on who we are as human beings and what we can offer the world around us. What we look like becomes a secondary issue. This is a lot easier said than done! Just look at the amount of money spent on cosmetic surgery and fad diets each year and you’ll see that this is still a very big concern for a lot of people.
I used to spend a ridiculous amount of time worrying about how my hair looked as a teenager and would meticulously gel my quiff as if I were an artist. It makes me laugh when I think back to those days, especially considering the birds nest I currently have plonked on the top of my head! I spend no time on my hair now. Oh how the times have changed!
Being conscious of the way we look is natural and something that everyone faces. The thing is, for some people, their body image can bring about mental health problems. When the way we look starts to make us anxious or depressed, it’s time to start focusing on our mindset and what we can do to alter our negative self-image. The goal of Mental Health Awareness Week is to highlight that “body image” can lead to a change in our mental state. By becoming conscious of the fact that this can happen, we can begin to deal with the implications of this. See the link at the end of this blog for further information relating to body image.
I think a really important way for us to start moving mental health forward in our society is by raising awareness. If we can all be more open about our mental health, we will realise that we are not alone and that it’s very common to face various mental health challenges. Being more open with others about our feelings and willing to ask for help is a great place for us to start. A small conversation with someone close to you can make a huge difference to how you’re feeling. The old adage - “a problem shared is a problem halved” seems particularly relevant here. Talking about mental health can be hard, but it’s extremely important for us to be more honest about this subject if we want to make it less of a taboo in our society.
I feel that a change is on the horizon as awareness increases and this is exciting. There are lots of people who are in dire need of help but unwilling to talk about what they’re feeling or even acknowledge their feelings. By initiating an open dialogue around mental health where it’s not seen as a weakness, I think we will notice a huge change in people actually coming forward and asking for help. This will hopefully lead to a happier, healthier society where people become personally responsible for their mental health and start to value it as equal to their physical health.
If you or anyone you know is dealing with mental health issues, I recommend spending some time on the “Mind” section of this website. Here you will be able to read about my journey with anxiety and what tips and tricks you can use to optimise your mental health.
Thanks for reading and I encourage you to keep things open and never be afraid to talk about your mental health with people you trust.
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation.”